Community Projects

Virginia Tech's engagement with communities is a critical part of its land grant mission. Groups across the university from Cooperative Extension to the College of Architecture offer important services to communities wrestling with economic development questions. The Office of Economic Development (OED), working with faculty experts from around the university, provides communities with sound technical advice and a venue for policy discussions.

Project Examples

Study of the Crooked Road's Economic Impact

The OED completed a study analyzing the economic impact of the Crooked Road heritage music trail in Southwest Virginia.

The OED completed an assessment on a community kitchen for the City of Roanoke's Economic Development Authority (EDA). This assessment served as a starting point for the LEAP Community Kitchen, a shared commercial kitchen and food business incubator in Roanoke’s West End neighborhood.

The OED researched agriculture and tourism-related economic opportunities for President James Madison’s historic Montpelier home and grounds through a grant sponsored by the Governor’s Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development Fund (AFID).